A Cruel Kind of Love
by visitivity
Summary: Love is a double-sided blade. Both sweet and cruel at the same time. But what happens when somebody loves somebody too much? Reality becomes illusions and illusions become reality as brutal murders unfold. [NaruHina, SasuSaku RR]
1. Default Chapter

The Fairytale Murders 

_Ring around the rosie_

_A pocket full of posies_

_Ashes, ashes_

_We all fall down... _

It was late in the middle of night. Not a sound stirred, it was thought that everyone in the village was asleep. The full moon shone overhead, giving the village a peaceful look. An old man, the lantern-lighter of the town strolled through the village. Alone, lonely yet utterly satisfied he walked, whistling a merry tune. He raised his old, tattered hat and grabbed his lantern and proceeded to make his daily round and the village, putting out every lamppost there was.

As he reached the last lamppost, he was given the impression that somebody was watching him. Observing his every move, under the full moon of that night. He turned around, glancing from left to right, only to discover that he was alone in the infinite darkness. He thought he was going crazy. It's because it's late, he told himself. Nearer, nearer he approached the lamppost, yet the farther, farther from it, he seemed to walk. Then suddenly, before he could reach the lamppost, a sudden gust of chilly wind blew in the warm summer night and all was dark. Clouds covered the bright moon and then... he heard a sound. Of little footsteps running down the cobblestone road.

_Pitter, patter, pitter, patter. _

Nearer and nearer the footsteps came, more frightened the lantern-lighter became. Then, a little girl, no more than 6 years of age skipped along the cobblestone road. With a sweet and sharp little voice, she sang:

Ring around the rosie 

_A pocket full of posies_

_Ashes, ashes _

_We all fall down... _

The lantern-lighter sighed. "Why it was only a young child!" he thought. Bending down, he asked the little girl kindly. "What are you doing out so late, dear? Wouldn't your mama and your papa be worried?"

The little girl paid no attention to the kindly old man and continued her singing, her petal-coloured hair blowing in the wind and her skin shone almost luminously despite the lack of light. Captivated by the sight, the lantern-light could only watch as the little girl twirled around and around. Around and around. As she reached the last line of the nursery rhyme, she stopped and turned her face to the lantern-lighter. And with a grisly smile she sang:

We all fall down... 

-----insert border-----

"Wake up, Sakura! Wake up!" cried a pretty blonde girl, trying desperately to wake her sleeping roommate. She was going to be late to meet her team!

"5 more minutes, Mom... 5 more minutes!!!" mumbled a sleeping lump, snuggled comfortably under the pink and white comforters of her bed.

A vein popped out of the pretty blonde's head. She gritted her teeth. Mom? Who was she to call her, Ms. Yamanka Ino, only 17 years of age, MOM. Ino could already feel her infamous temper starting to rise. With an evil glare at the sleeping lump in the bed, she decided to give her the most unpleasant awakening.

Sure enough, five minutes later, the former sleeping lump shot out of bed, howling.

"INO! Why the FUCK, did you pour ICY cold water on me? What the HELL were you thinking?" cried a slender girl with tousled short pink hair and big green eyes. (**I.S: You stupid bitch! How dare you to wake me up in that crude manner from my much-needed beauty sleep! You will pay...**)

Ino smiled menacingly.

"You called me, a lady of 17 years, MOM. Look, Sakura, honey- I may be your best friend but don't ever, ever call me MOM."

"AND THAT GIVES YOU REASON TO DRENCH MY SHEETS WITH COLD WATER?" yelped Sakura, obviously exasperated at her roommate's lack of common sense.

Ino ignored this comment.

"Kakashi-sempai, Sasuke-kun and Naruto dropped by earlier this morning. Said that there was an important meeting in the Hokage's office- you need to get there in uh... approximately 5 minutes."

Sakura shrieked. She ran over to her closet and began throwing around random pieces of clothing. She threw on a black tank top and a pair of black cargo capris and rushed out the door.

-----insert border-----

A tall man with silver hair stood outside of the Hokage's office. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed. She was late... again. Kakashi sneaked a glance at his two teammates- one with raven black hair and brooding dark eyes stood with his arms crossed and glaring at the other, the one with blonde hair and clear blue eyes dressed in a tight black muscle tee and dark pants. They held a glaring contest for a while, but then- it was nothing new. They were rivals after all, two of the most prized ninjas in Konoha. The third was late. Yet again. As the two thought about their teammate, they both lost concentration and ended the glaring match. Both of them sighed. Why couldn't she ever be on time? It was as if her and Kakashi had switched roles!

But then, as if she knew that they were thinking about her, she appeared out of nowhere.

"Hey everyone! Sorry for the wait!" she greeted them with a bright a cheery smile. Their anger that they had felt for her melted. All except for one.

"Why can't you ever be on time?" muttered Sasuke, with an annoyed look. With that, he stalked off. Typical Sasuke behavior.

Sakura shrugged.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" she asked the remaining members of the team with a smile.

Naruto and Kakashi both smiled. Nothing was ever going to change.

-----insert border--------

"So. I have gathered all of you here today to discuss your new mission. It seems that one of our neighbouring villages, in the Fire Country, have encountered some mysterious deaths. Nobody knows the reason for these deaths for sure- but the village authorities seem to claim that they were murders. They are paying us to investigate these murders and to get rid of whatever is causing them."

"What about these deaths? Are there any details, Tsunade-sama?" asked a curious Sakura. She had an uneasy feeling about this one.

Tsunade grimaced.

"It seemed that they had died of drowning... in their own blood."


	2. A Ghost Village: The Beginning

The Fairytale Murders

Act 2: A Ghost Village: The Beginning

Sakura gasped. She was right- it was something eccentric. She shuddered as she thought of all who died by that horrible method.

"You're shitting me- they died by drowning in their own blood?" demanded an amazed Naruto, his blue eyes round with shock. He could not believe this piece of information, how could somebody drown in his or hers own blood?

Tsunade's eyes narrowed. "That damn brat, always questioning my authority- why can't he ever shut the hell up?" she thought.

"Well, Naruto, since you are so smart- please care to explain why it couldn't?" growled Tsunade.

Naruto scratched his head. "Well…" he started, with a very intelligent look in his eyes, as if he had suddenly thought of a brilliant idea, "blood… is INSIDE the body. Therefore, if something is inside of the body, how can you drown in it?"

All three of them fell over. After all this thinking, that was the best explanation that he could come up with? He really was an idiot.

"Dobe." Muttered Sasuke.

"What you say?!" yelled Naruto, obviously provoked by the young Uchiha's tauntings.

Sakura bopped them both on the head.

"Shut up, why doncha? Tsunade-sama's trying to tell us something else."

The both of them shut up. After all, they knew just how scary Sakura could be when provoked. She wasn't the same gentle shinobi that she had been five years ago. Unfortunately, she now knew all the best methods of torturing somebody to get information out of them, after all, she was the freaky-ass general Ibiki's apprentice. Both Sasuke and Naruto knew that she wouldn't hesitate to try out one of her new torturing techniques on her teammates. Oh, they knew all too well…

* * *

"You are to go to the hidden village of seed to investigate what had been happened. Leave no leaf unturned- you must get to the end of this. After all, they're paying us big bucks!"

"What a speech to send us on our journey." Thought Sakura. "Maybe money is what pleases Tsunade-sama the most after all."

She snickered as she thought of her Hokage rolling around in coins and bills.

"Ah.. what a wonderful day!" she thought, as she turned her head towards the sky. Her emerald green eyes gazed at the clear blue sky, captivated by its beauty and majesty. She pulled her arms over her head and stretched. It's been a while since she's been able to be so relaxed- usually she had to be on her guard all the time. She glanced at her teammates.

"Ah. Kakashi is still reading that same old book- what a horny old bastard." She thought as a sweatdrop rolled down her face.

She looked over at Naruto, who was by the roadside peering at all the wild flowers and herbs. As he caught her eye, he gave her a wide smile and motioned for her to go over.

"Ne, Sakura-chan! What's up? I haven't talked to you alone since… yesterday!" said Naruto.

Sakura laughed.

"Ah… so true, so true. Ya missed me, old buddy? Can't live a moment with your Sakura-chan?" she teased.

"Aw… you caught me! But make sure that Hinata doesn't know of this, otherwise she'd skin me alive!" whispered Naruto.

Sakura chuckled. She knew that Hinata could never hurt a single hair on Naruto's body. After all, they have been together for almost two years. Sakura sighed. A match made in heaven, she thought. If only she could find a person like that for her, to be by her side for always, to love her when nobody else would. With that thought, she glanced sideways at her other comarade- the lone Uchiha heir, Sasuke.

He was walking silently, his face set in its usual emotionless expression. He hadn't changed at all. His raven black hair was still in its usual fashion, framing his pale, chiseled face and enhancing the elegance of his obsidian orbs. He was truly the epitome of the metaphor, tall, dark and handsome- although Sakura knew that his heart was as cold as a block of ice. There was absolutely no difference between the Sasuke, five years ago and the Sasuke, five years later. Except for the fact that he had grown taller, stronger and no longer craved for power given by others. His sole goal in life was still to avenge the deaths of his clan, by killing his older brother, the dangerous S-level assassin, Itachi Uchiha.

Sakura then turned her head to look at Naruto, who was still by the roadside taking in the beauty of wild flowers and the grass billowing in the light zephyrs that spring had to offer. Naruto was truly a child, so innocent and pure, even though he has been through so much. With golden blonde hair, shining azure eyes and a wide, warm smile, they were truly opposites. They reminded her of light and dark, making themselves enemies of each other, yet binding them together in a never-breaking bond of friendship.

She thought of Kakashi, or more affectionately known to her as "Sensei". He really was a puzzle. There were so many sides to her sensei that she didn't know where to begin. To his many acquaintances, he was the mysterious Copy-Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, the man with many secrets or an arrogant bastard, who always had his nose in that dirty book. But to the few who he let into his guarded heart, he was a source of safety, a mentor and a man who was always there when you needed him. Yes, Kakashi Hatake was truly a complexity that would perhaps, never be solved.

Sakura brushed a strand of her petal pink hair behind her ear, a soft smile gracing her face as she thought of her team- the three most important people to her in the world. Then, as if on cue, all three of them glanced back at her, who was always a few steps behind them. They caught the sight of her soft smile, and the way that her petal pink hair flew behind her. They stopped and waited for her as she slowly came out of her daydream. She might not know it but she was the bond that tied them all together, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Darkness hung over the village, camouflaging the once happy and thriving town. Ominous clouds hung in the sanguine sky and all around the village, people whispered.

"_The sky is drenched in blood." _

And the sound of a woman wailing broke the silence of the night.

* * *


	3. Under the Red Moon

The Fairytale Murders

Act 3: Under the Red Moon 

"_The sky is drenched in blood." _Whispered a raspy voice.

"_The sky is drenched in blood… The sky is drenched in blood… The sky is drenched in blood!!" _squealed distorted voices, as they laughed under the sanguine sky.

Around and around, they twirled, wearing dresses of pure white. Their skin shone under the light of the red moon. Around and around, they danced- laughing and chanting those words. Under the light of that moon, they seemed inhuman, almost immortal. They each smiled, showing pearly white teeth, those beautiful creatures that seemed so cruel.

"_We're waiting… We're waiting for your arrival…we're waiting…" _they sang with a sweet voice. They twirled around her, memorizing her scent and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"_We're waiting…" _they whispered as they faded into the night.

Sakura woke up with a cold sweat. She breathed in heavily as she touched the spot where they had kissed her. Who were they? She shook her head- it was just her imagination. They're not real, she told herself, but somehow, deep inside her consciousness, she knew that they were more than mere illusions. She could smell them; their sweet scent of water lilies lingered in her nostrils. She forgot what they had said. She forgot the red moon. All she could think about was how beautiful they were as the scent of water lilies engulfed her.

* * *

"Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan- HEY! SAKURA-CHAN!! WAKE UP!!" hollered Naruto at the sleeping Sakura.

Sakura opened her eyes unwillingly, the sun shone brightly in her eyes. She had forgotten all about last night.

"Wai.. it's so bright! I'm meellting…" moaned Sakura dramatically.

Naruto laughed at his friend's antics. Little did she know, he was planning something behind her back.

"Come on, Sakura-chan. Breakfast is ready! Kakashi said that if you don't wake up in five minutes, he's gonna eat your breakfast!!"

Sakura shot straight up at the threat. All was going as Naruto had anticipated. Although, he didn't seem like he was the type to think up genius battle strategies, like Shikamaru- he had pretty good strategies to steal food. And… he happened to know that Sakura had brought a pack of ramen with her.

"Why, that bastard…" she growled as she sped towards the other two of her team.

She spotted Kakashi, with his nose in the book as always. She stalked up to him and pressed her finger against his chest.

"Where. Is. It." She demanded forcefully.

He looked up from his book innocently.

"Where is what, Sakura-chan?"

"You know what. Where is my breakfast, Kakashi-SENSEI?"

"Well… hehe-"

Before he could say another word, Sakura whacked him on the back of his head. With that, she departed while calling behind her:

"You ate it, didn't you?"

A sweatdrop rolled down Kakashi's masked face.

"Actually, it's in your bag, where you left it last night…"

* * *

"Oww.. Sakura-chan, you didn't have to hit me that hard! You sent me through five trees." Whined Naruto, while clutching his head.

"You ate my breakfast and yet you still have to courage to whine about how much it hurts when I hit you?" asked Sakura in a deathly calm voice as she gave Naruto her evil eye. An evil smirk appeared on her face.

"Hmm… did you know that Ibiki-san has taught me another way to extract information? Firstly you have to –beep- to the person's –beep- and then –beep- the –beep-, not to mention to –beep- and to tear out the –beep-. The person will then –beep- and then you're supposed to –beep- and –beep-. Then you're supposed to use the –beep-…" said Sakura, with a happy look in her eye.

Naruto's face turned green. Then he ran off behind Sasuke and Kakashi, whose faces were equally green.

"Waah… Sakura-chan's going to kill me!" he cried.

"Better him than us." They both replied automatically, offering Naruto as their sacrifice.

:"Sakura-chan! Come on, we've been friends for so long! How can you ever do –beep- to my –beep- and then –beep- the –beep-, not to mention to –beep- and tear out my –beep- and then use the –beep-? Besides… you know about my weakness for ramen.. I couldn't help myself! I wanted to stop- really, I did but my body started functioning on it's own! Please don't do –beep- to my –beep- and then –beep- the –beep-, not to mention to –beep- and tear out my –beep- and then use the –beep-!" pleaded Naruto with tears in his azure eyes.

Sakura laughed. Really, how could she keep a straight face to Naruto's puppy face? She patted Naruto on the head.

"Ah.. don't worry, buddy. I wasn't even all that hungry anyways." Chuckled Sakura.

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god she wasn't serious of doing –beep- to my –beep- and then –beep- the –beep-, not to mention to –beep- and tearing out my –beep- and then using the –beep-!" thought Naruto.

* * *

It was almost noon- the sun shone brightly against the cerulean sky. Sakura sighed and stretched against the rock behind her. Beside her, lay Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi, all of whom were basking in the warm sunlight. All of who were thinking of different things.

Naruto was thinking of a certain pearly-eyed lady, who was waiting for him back in the comfort of Konoha. He was also thinking of his cherished ramen shop, which was forever imbedded in his heart. He smiled softly as a memory flickered through his mind of his and Hinata's first date…

_Flashback_

_It was a hot summer's day in July; the people of Konoha were busy preparing for their annual Sakura festival. A handsome young man stood in front of the blossoming cherry trees, nervously waiting for the arrival of his date._

_"Gah… do I look alright? Does this blue kimono-thing suit me? Sakura-chan said that when you're going to a Sakura festival, you have to wear a kimono, but I'm not so sure. What if I look too girly? No wait, I can't think like that. Sakura-chan said to act like myself. But how do I act like me? I don't understand! I thought I was me! How do you act like yourself when you are yourself?" he thought, as his mind was trying to understand the muddling yet vital piece of information that Sakura had given him._

_Yet, it didn't seem promising that he'd get it anytime soon. Naruto was nervous. It was his first date with the girl that he had an enormous crush on, he wasn't sure if he would make a good first impression. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that he wouldn't screw it up. _

_"Don't screw up! Don't screw up! You are Naruto! You are Naruto!!" he chanted to himself, as if it would completely destroy the chances of him screwing up the date. _

_"God…. Why was it so much easier when I didn't realize that I was in love with her?" he thought, as he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. _

_He tried hard to remember the advice that Sakura had given him. Unfortunately, all that came to mind was a pink-haired shinobi talking, but no sound came out from her mouth. _

_"Oh damn… I don't think I was listening…." _

_He snapped out of his reverie when he heard a shy voice calling his name. _

_"Naruto-kun! I'm sorry that I was late." Said Hinata, wearing a most exquisite royal blue kimono. _

_Naruto gapped at the sight of his date. She was truly beautiful. Of course, not in the way that Sakura was beautiful, but in her own unique fashion. He gazed up at her face. He never realized just how bright her pearly-white eyes shone- it was like he was falling in love all over again. _

_"You… you look beautiful." He stuttered, nervously. _

_Hinata blushed. _

_"Th-thanks, Naruto-kun." _

_They smiled at each other and walked off, hand in hand. _

_The first place that he took her was this fancy restaurant. He could vaguely remember Sakura saying that girls liked to be pampered. And there they sat, accompanied by the light of the candles and the bittersweet melody of the violin playing in the background. _

_"So… uh…. What do you want to do after we eat?" asked Naruto lamely. He really couldn't think of anything else to say. _

_"Let's go see the cherry blossoms." Smiled Hinata, "I've always wanted to see them."_

_Naruto looked surprised. _

_"What? You've never gone out and seen the cherry blossoms?" _

_"No… My family wasn't that fond of public events- so I wasn't allowed to go…" replied Hinata with a sad smile. "But I'm happy because my first time seeing them will be with Naruto-kun!" _

_Naruto blushed; he didn't know what to say to this. He hoped that nothing stupid will come out of his mouth. Fortunately, the waiter came back with the sake at that exact moment. He and Hinata both reached for the wine at the same time. _

_"Ah… let me get it for you. After all, you are my guest tonight!" said Naruto cheerfully._

_However, as he reached over for the bottle of sake, Naruto became conscious of the fact that he was out on his FIRST date with HINATA, the woman of his dreams. His hands started to tremble and at that exact moment, the bottle wriggled out of his grasp and dropped onto Hinata's lap. The entire front of her beautiful kimono was soaked in sake. _

_"Oh.. Oh my god. I am so sorry! I didn't- it just- I- Oh I am soo so sorry!! Oh man…" gasped Naruto. _

"_Oh dammit. I just screwed it up didn't I?" he thought glumly, as he helped Hinata wipe the sweet wine off her kimono. _

"_Hinata… you're not too mad at me, are you? I'm really sorry- I'll replace it!" asked Naruto. _

_Hinata slowly turned her pale face to the tanned one of Naruto's, with a gentle smile, she opened her mouth to speak. _

"_No-" _

"_Naruto-sama! Naruto-sama!! We need you at the village center!! There are some ninjas causing the civilians problems!" interrupted a young chuunin. _

"_But-" began Naruto, "I'm on a-" _

"_It's okay. We can do this some other time, your village needs you, Naruto." Interrupted Hinata with a gentle voice, as if she was convincing a child. _

_Naruto pouted. _

"_But… are you sure that it's okay?" _

"_It's fine. Don't worry about it, besides I've got to get home and change." Replied Hinata._

_With that, she left the restaurant. Naruto stared at her back guiltily, he sighed. He had really ruined it, hadn't he? _

"_Naruto-sama! NARUTO-SAMA!!" cried the young chuunin. _

"_Hn?" _

"_We must go!" _

"_Ah… right…" _

"_I'll make it up to her. I'll make it up to her…somehow." He thought, as he sped towards the village center. _

* * *

_Naruto breathed nervously as he approached the Hyuuga house. Was he really doing the right thing? Was he sure that she would appreciate seeing his face after he took her out on possibly the worst date of her life? These doubts tugged at Naruto's mind, making him more and more nervous as each second passed. But then he remembered her gentle smile and he thought: _

"_No matter what she thinks of me, I've got to apologize to her. Not some rushed, crappy apology- a real sincere one. I at least owe her that. Plus, she might not be pissed at me and I'll get a chance to make it to her! Hehe… I'll blow her socks off with Super-Naruto's-Plan-To-Blow-Hinata's-Socks-Off-So-That-She'll-Forgive-Me-And-Marry-Me. But what should I do?" _

_He then remembered how she said that she had never once, gone to see the cherry trees. He smiled to himself. _

"_Yes! That's perfect." _

* * *

"_Hinata! Hey, Hinata!" called Naruto, softly. _

_But no response came from the window overhead. _

"_Hinata! Hello? Are you there?" _

_The window finally opened. _

"_Naruto-kun?" Hinata called as she stuck her head out of the window. _

"_Yo!" _

"_Naruto-kun! What are you doing here?" asked Hinata, shocked that he had managed to get through the guards. _

"_Hehe… I told you that I'd make it to you, remember? Well, I, Uzumaki Naruto, never breaka promise. Especially to a pretty girl like you. So hurry up and get down here!" _

_Hinata smiled as she jumped out of the window, knowing that Naruto would be there to catch her. _

"_Okay, hime-sama. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to blind you for a few minutes, just until we reach our destination." Said Naruto, as he wrapped a piece of cloth around her eyes. _

"_O-Okay." Stammered Hinata, not sure of what to expect from him. _

* * *

"_Ne…. Naruto-kun, are we there yet?" asked Hinata. _

"_Hmm… almost. Just a little longer." Replied Naruto in a cheeky tone. _

_Hinata sighed. They had been walking for more than half an hour. She wondered where he was taking her. Suddenly, they stopped abruptly. She felt two arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. She felt two hands, gently removing the blindfold from her eyes. She felt the warmth of his body, so close to her, as she opened her eyes gingerly. _

_She gasped slightly at the sight before her. He had brought her to the cherry trees. A circle of pale pink blossoms surround the pair, as the full moon above shone over them, giving them a silvery glow. She breathed their scent- never has she seen anything so beautiful. Then, a sudden breeze brushed over them, taking the petals of the flowers with it. It seemed like it was snowing. She shivered. _

_Naruto felt her fragile body tremble. He hugged her even tighter. He felt her head, as it laid on his chest. She was so fragile, so pure. She reminded him of the cherry blossoms that were carried off with the wind. He put his chin on top of her head, and like that they stood, silently, as they watched the cherry blossoms fly. _

_He suddenly turned her towards him and with a sincere tone he spoke: _

"_I'm sorry." _

_Hinata smiled as she raised one hand and placed it upon his fine chiseled features. _

"_I forgive you." _

_With that, he bent his head down and kissed her gently, while the cherry blossoms flew around them, glowing silver under the light of the moon. _

* * *

Naruto sighed a sigh of happiness as he remembered that night. He closed his eyes as he laid in the warm sunlight, thinking of her and only her.

* * *

Sasuke lay there, eyes wide open as he watched the clouds float by. Next to him, Sakura did the same.

"Ne… Sasuke…" began Sakura.

"What?"

"…Don't you… think that that one looks like a rabbit?" she asked, as she pointed to a fat cloud in the sky.

Sasuke looked at it carefully. He shook his head.

"Where did you get that from? That is obviously cauliflower."

Sakura laughed in surprise. She didn't expect that Sasuke Uchiha, the lone wolf of Konoha, to be able to determine clouds as cauliflower.

"No… you've got it all wrong. That is obviously a rabbit. Can't you see the ears popping out of its head?"

"What ears? Those are the white things on top of the cauliflower!"

"Ears!"

"White things!"

"Ears!!"

"White things!"

"EARS!"

"…Dobe."

Sakura took that as Sasuke's surrender. Satisfied, she laid there in silence. Both peacefully watching as the clouds float by. Both perfectly happy to be in the company of each other…

* * *

Kakashi lay there, feeling the sun's warmth as it shone down at him. He closed his eyes blissfully.

"Hehe… my book is so good! I can't believe that he –beep- her in the –beep-! And then they had a –beep- with a –beep-! Then, they performed –beep- on the –beep-! Ah… life is good."

* * *

It was dusk by the time they reached their destination. As soon as they stepped into the village, they could sense that something was wrong. The metallic scent of blood filled the air. Death had visited.


	4. The Mark of Amity

The Fairytale Murders

Note: A character in this fanfic will be like Sorato from X TV.

Act 4: The Mark of Amity

Death filled the air of the small town. Sakura could smell it. The metallic scent of blood flooded her senses.

"What had happened here?" she wondered.

Overhead, the crescent moon shone, bleeding red into the night sky. Sakura looked at the moon captivated.

"It's as if the sky's seeping with blood." She thought out loud.

Naruto and Sasuke looked at her strangely. She seemed as if she was enchanted with the sky, lost in her own little world. Then they heard the scream. The sound of a women wailing pierced through the night. Without a second glance at each other, they all ran into the direction of where the scream came from.

When they got there, they kicked the door open. There was nobody in sight, although they could smell the heavy scent of water lilies that was overflowing in the room. It was dark, no light shone from the little house.

"What the hell? A few seconds ago, I sensed the charka from this house. It was so strong, where did it go?" asked Naruto quizzically.

Kakashi turned his head and observed his surroundings. Something was wrong here, the chakra was gone. He sniffed the air gingerly. His eyes bugged out in shock.

"Don't go in there! The air is drugged!!" he shouted to his other teammates. Unfortunately, Sakura had already gone inside.

"SAKURA!!" they shouted.

Sakura spotted her. A lump in a corner, holding something tightly to her chest. The person wailed again, this time even louder.

"No... No...!! Why?? Why did it have to be him?" she sobbed heartbreakingly into the burden on her lap.

Sakura motioned to the other three that she had found somebody in the house. She approached the woman slowly and sat down beside her. What she saw frightened her.

Sakura gasped and held her hand to her mouth to prevent her from throwing up at the gruesome view. The woman was clutching a man tightly to her, but it wasn't a normal man. The skin of the man had turned black, and it was slowly decomposing. The black blood soaked through the lady's clothes, and oh, how it smelled.

"Oh god." She whispered.

The lady seemed to have sensed Sakura's presence next to her. She slowly turned her head to Sakura. Sakura gasped at the sight of the woman's face. Her face was estranged, as if she was in immense pain. The rotten blood was spotted all over her face but it was her eyes that haunted Sakura the most. They were black, glittering of hatred and grief. They took in the image of Sakura and the woman gritted her teeth with hatred. With a petrifying scream, she lunged herself at Sakura, ripping at her with her long, sharp nails. Sakura held her hands up in defense, but it seemed to do nothing for the woman seemed to be crazy.

"You... You... Killed him!! You demon!! I will kill you!! I will kill you!!!" she sobbed.

Sakura was frightened. What did the woman mean when she said that Sakura had killed him? She didn't even know him.

"Wh-What? What do you mean?" she stammered.

To her surprise, the lady stopping reaching for Sakura. She stood there, just staring at her with a deathly calm stare.

"You're marked. Tainted by the kiss of the devil..."

She then sank to the ground, as if she had just lost consciousness. Sakura approached her carefully, the woman made no movement. She just lay there, in a pool of her own blood and of her lover's blood. Sakura shivered. She suddenly felt cold, as if a sudden gust of wind had swept through the room. Then, everything started spinning. Whirling and twisting, all she saw was a blur of colours. The last thing she remembered was the scent of water lilies before she fell unconscious.

* * *

"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan?" called a gentle voice.

Sakura opened her eye. Brightness filled her vision. She groaned and closed her eyes once again. She felt a gentle nudge.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan!!" hollered the voice again.

She shut her eyes, she didn't want to wake up. It was too early.

"Sakura Haruno. Open your eyes right now before I spill water on you."

Sakura finally opened her eyes, unwillingly. The first thing she saw was the azure orbs of Naruto's eyes.

"AHHH! What are you doing so close to my face??!!" she shrieked.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy, I was only seeing if you were awake or not." Answered Naruto, as he placed his hands on his ears.

"Man, Sakura-chan can sure scream loud!" he thought to himself. Shaking his head, he sat down on a chair close to her bed.

"What happened last night?" he asked her, gently.

Sakura suddenly remembered the events of last night. Horrified, she gasped.

"Oh my god. That lady! Is she alright??"

Naruto just gave her a weird look.

"What lady? There was no lady in that house! We walked into that house and you just suddenly started gasping and panicking. Then, you fainted." Explained Naruto.

"What are you talking about? There was a lady there and she was holding- oh my god...That man. She was holding a man's corpse in her lap. And that smell...God, how could you not have smelled it?" said Sakura hysterically.

Naruto pressed his hand on her forehead. It was probably the aftereffects of the drug that she was exposed to last night.

"Listen, you're not thinking straight. Last night, when we entered the room, you smelled water lilies right?"

"Um...yea" answered Sakura, "But what does the scent of water lilies have to do with anything?"

"Well... it turns out that the smell of water lilies was a drug. Sasuke, Kakashi and I already noticed it but before we could tell you, you already went into the house. There was no lady, there was no corpse, that house was empty." Replied Naruto with a gentle voice.

Sakura looked dumbfounded. How was that possible? It seemed so real- the lady scratching at her and lunging at her. Was that all an illusion? She shook her head to clear it. Man, she was really out of it today.

"Sakura-chan...are you alright?" asked a concerned Naruto.

Sakura nodded.

"Yea... I'm just a little out of it today, don't mind me. Where's Sasuke and Kakashi?"

"They went out a while ago to get our breakfast! RAMEN! Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll pay for your ramen, after all, I did eat it during our journey here."

A sweatdrop rolled down Sakura's face.

"Th-Thanks, Naruto."

* * *

Somewhere out there, a small voice laughed of glee. It was all going as planned.

"Sakura-chan... you'll be mine! Mine forever and ever and ever..." she giggled blissfully.

* * *

It was afternoon when Sakura was finally allowed out of the village hospital. The town really wasn't what it had seemed to be in the night, it was a rich, thriving town. Little children ran everywhere and the sounds of happiness filled the village. It was completely different from the night before, when the red moon had shone upon it.

"Wow... what a difference!" smiled Sakura.

Naruto and Sasuke gave her a queer look.

"What do you mean? It was like this when we got here yesterday." Asked Naruto.

Sakura froze. What was he saying? When they had arrived at the village last night, it was dark and gloomy. It seemed as if death had visited. It wasn't the picture of good commerce and fun- it seemed... dead.

Sasuke looked at her worriedly. She had been like this since last night. Naruto had told him how she had been hallucinating; how she had thought that she had seen things that she hadn't seen in the house last night. It was too strange... He looked at her carefully. She had changed in some aspects. She looked perfectly normal, physically. But he had noticed how she had forced some smiles. It was as if she was worried about something but she couldn't say what it was. He watched her through his dark brooding eyes and worried about her.

Although he'd never admit it, he too saw that she has grown to be a beautiful strong young lady. Over the years, she has grown to be a part of him. Deep inside, he knew that it felt right to be beside her, like they were together yesterday, peacefully watching the clouds float by. He knew that he felt safe with her, that she could help him forget his revenge, if only for a little while.

He put his hand on her shoulder. She looked over her shoulder in surprise and stared right into Sasuke's obsidian eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked in a cold tone, but Sakura knew that he was concerned.

"Yea. I'm fine, don't worry about it." She answered cheerfully, for real this time.

* * *

Unbeknownst to Sakura, she had attracted the attention of a handsome young man.

"Wow… she's really pretty." He thought to himself. "Who is she? I've never seen a pink-haired beauty in town before."

He suddenly sensed somebody behind her with a murderous rage. He saw as the hidden figure launched herself at the pink-haired angel. He saw the glint of the knife as it plunged down at the unsuspecting girl.

"AH! WATCH OUT!" he hollered as he ran.

He managed to pull Sakura out of the way, while Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi all pinned down the woman's arms.

"SHE'S TAINTED! SHE'S TAINTED! SHE BEARS THE MARK! SHE BEARS THE MARK!" shrieked the lady, eyes rolling uncontrollably in their sockets.

"Ah! Miwa-san! There you are!" shouted a man wearing a white labcoat. He motioned for his comrades to go over. "I found her!"

With a wave of his hand, several men in black ran over and took the woman from Kakashi's hands. The man in the labcoat turned to speak to Kakashi.

"I'm so incredibly sorry for the inconvience," he apologized. "You see, Miwa-san has just escaped again this morning. She's been like that since her husband contracted that horrible disease and died."

"So… was he the one who drowned in his own blood?" asked Kakashi curiously.

The doctor grimaced.

"Maybe we should discuss this in private. Meet me at the hospital at noon."

Kakashi nodded.

"So the villagers don't know that there's a murder among them. Typical politics." He muttered under his breath.

* * *

Sakura felt herself being tackled. Unfortunately, they ended up in a rather uncomfortable position, with her on top of her mysterious saviour. She opened her eyes and found her lips were pressed up against the ones of the handsome young man. She gasped and stared in shock into two chocolate brown eyes.

He smiled cheekily at her.

"Well that was some thank-you gift, Pinky-chan! But you're pretty heavy for a girl of your age- I can't breathe!"

Sakura jumped off of his chest. She had never been so humiliated in her life. She could feel the stares boring into her back as she vigorously rubbed at her mouth. She gave the bystanders an evil eye.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you even seen a girl fall before? Quit your staring, idiots!" snapped Sakura, angry that she had just gotten her first kiss stolen from her.

She felt an arm creep around her shoulders. She looked up and stared into the same despicable brown eyes as before. She glared at him, but was surprised that his eyes weren't concentrating on her face. They were focused on her chest.

"Wow.. I must say, you've got a great rack, Pinky-" he began.

But before he could say anymore, Sakura's fist had already made contact with his face and he found himself flying through the air.

"Oh crap." He thought as he saw the big tree in front of him.

Sakura just watched as he crashed into the tree, fuming.

"Stupid bastard. I cant believe I had my first kiss with such a pervert." Thought Sakura furiously, still rubbing vigorously at her lips.

"AHH!! Scrub it off! The germs! Get them off of my lips! GET RID OF THEM!!" screeched Inner Sakura, in obvious pain.

Sakura stalked off to where her teammates were.

"Ne, Sasuke. I feel a dangerous aura." Whispered Naruto.

"Shut up. Don't say anything. Don't ask her anything and we'll survive." Replied Sasuke, in a tight tone.

"But she's scary!"

"I know."

Little did they know, Sakura was standing right beside them.

"Who's scary?" she asked in a booming voice, towering over the two jounins.

They gulped.

* * *

Kakashi smirked as he spotted the rest of his teammates approaching him. Two sported a couple of big bumps on their heads, while the third was wearing her infamous I'm-pissed-don't-mess-with-me look.

"Welcome back!" he began in a cheery tone.

But before he could finish what he was saying, he caught the death glares of all three ninjas. A sweatdrop rolled down Kakashi's face.

"Uh… we are to meet at the village hospital at noon to discuss the deaths." He said in a more serious tone.

"Geez… why do my teammates have to be so scary?" he whined to himself.

The three ahead of him turned around and glared.

"We heard that!!!"

* * *

Sakura was still fuming as she stalked towards the hospital.

"That damn brat! Ugh.. I swear, the next time I see I'm going to do –beep- to his –beep- and tear out his –beep- and use the –beep- on him." She thought, furiously.

"Man that guy must've gotten Sakura-chan really pissed off!" whispered Naruto. "You think she's going to kill us?"

"Not us, but that guy. Still… she'll be in a pissy mood for the rest of the day." Replied Kakashi, with a worried look to see if Sakura was listening. Thankfully, she wasn't. She was too absorbed in her anger to notice anything that her teammates said.

"That piece of perverted crap…" growled Sakura, as she walked into the office.

She was snapped out of her reverie when Kakashi introduced all of them. She lifted her head and saw him, the guy who had kissed her and commented on her cleavage. The guy who had groped her, the perverted lecher that she was sworn to kill. She peered at her, as if she didn't believe that it was him.

"Same blonde hair, same brown eyes, same black shirt and pants…" she thought.

But the clue that cinched it was when he started talking.

"AH! It's Pinky-chan! Fancy meeting you here, my lady! Oh, you are even more gorgeous up close." He cried as he rushed towards Sakura and hugged her tightly.

Sakura's face turned purple.

"Uh-oh… she's going to explode. Better get back a bit…" thought her teammates.

"You- you- YOU BASTARD!! GET YOUR DISGUSTING HANDS OFF OF ME!!" shouted Sakura as she pounded her fists on his chest.

"Aw… you're so cute when you're mad!" replied the young man with a mischievous look, as he hugged her even tighter.

Sakura really didn't know what to say to his guy. She was puzzled and so angry that she couldn't think straight. She just stood there dazed, as if she was amazed by this guy's courage or rather, stupidity to HUG her after she sent him crashing into a gigantic tree. Suddenly a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Oi, Kazuma. Get your hands off our guest." Said a firm voice.

"Oh, alright… You were always the party-pooper, O-chan!" pouted Kazuma as his hands slid off of Sakura.

Sakura looked at her saviour, it was an older man with light brown hair and intelligent green eyes, wearing a white labcoat.

"Please, have a seat." He said in a kind voice. "So, allow me to introduce myself and the idiot standing beside me. I am Kyou Otohata, the leader of this village and this is the genius ninja of our village, Kazuma Soumah."

Kazuma bowed respectfully.

"Ah… so this guy actually has the sense to bow too? Can't see it from the way he's been acting." Thought Sakura as a sweatdrop rolled down her face.

"Pleased to meet you. I am Kakashi Hatake of the Leaf village and my comrades are Sasuke Uchiha, Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno." Introduced Kakashi formally.

"Hehe… Sensei sounds so formal and serious! Total change from who he really is, and that book too." Smiled Sakura to herself.

"Ah! So Pinky-chan's real name is Sakura! What a beautiful name…" said Kazuma cheerfully.

A vein popped out of Sakura's head.

"Shut-" she began.

"Please excuse our Kazuma." Said Kyou, "He has a tendency towards beautiful young ladies, such as yourself. "

Sakura blushed.

"Ah-" she began, once again.

"Hey- O-chan, no fair! No flirting with my girl- you're married!"

A vein popped out of Kyou's head, as he swung at Kazuma's head.

"Say. That. Again." He thundered, all traces of the gentle and kind doctor disappeared.

A sweatdrop rolled down Sakura's head. So the doctor was as fake as Kakashi was. The doctor cleared his throat.

"Okay. Down to business. The reason that you've been summoned here is because lately we've been having some… issues. It seems as if someone has been murdering the men in our village." Started the doctor, seriously.

"What do you mean by murdering the men?" asked Sakura curiously.

The doctor had a grave look upon his face.

"Somebody has been killing men, and only men. But the strange thing is, that the deaths are not related in any fashion except for this fact and the fact that the men were cherished by a woman. Some were married; others had girlfriends or were in a relationship."

Sakura gasped as fragments of her memory of last night floated back to her. She knew that there was a connection between the two.

"Cherished by a woman…" she thought, as she remembered the lady who had been crying so heartbreakingly and holding the corpse of her lover in her arms.

"But that's not all. Their lovers were either so estranged by their deaths that they went insane or they've gone missing. One of which is our ex-ANBU leader, Kana Sugimoto. We're not yet certain to the cause of her disappearance. It could be that she just left the village and became a missing-nin. However, the day before she went missing, her husband died. We think that that was enough reason to rule out abandoning the village. But like I said, we're not certain and we must, by all means, find out whether she had deserted the village or she was killed." Explained the doctor quietly.

"Why? Was she that important?" asked Naruto dumbly.

Kazuma's eyes flashed with anger.

"Of course, she's important. She's a human being, how could she not be important, you idiot!! She was the kindest human being in the world, how could her disappearance not matter? Don't say things that you know nothing of so rashly." Spat Kazuma.

The doctor looked at Kazuma sadly as he put a hand down on his shoulder to calm him down.

"Kana-san was Kazuma's adoptive mother. She was also our village's most prized ninja, she knew of things that could destroy the village."

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura carefully.

"Oka-san had a special power, because she was borne into a prized family in this village, she had also inherited the advanced bloodline. She was an astrologist. She observed the stars and noticed their every movement. They told her the future.

Yes, my mother could foretell the future. However, this was kept secret for fear that somebody outside of the village would find out. It was too dangerous. So, Oka-san became a leader of an ANBU-squad. This way, she had power and nobody would be suspicious if O-chan listened to her. " said Kazuma while he looked down at his hands.

"But I know that she would never abandon her village! She wasn't a person like that- the village was the most important thing to her in the world. She would never leave her village! Oka-san… Oka-san… was the kindest person in the world. She took me in after my parents died and loved me as if I was her own son. That's why.. That's why… I know that something happened to her."

Sakura watched him with pity in her eyes. So…. He was an orphan and now he's lost the only person that he ever saw as his mother. Unwillingly, she felt tears sprang to her eyes. Unwillingly, she felt them start to drop. She couldn't help it- his loyalty truly touched her. She raised her hand to wipe the tears away but more kept on coming.

"Why… Why am I crying?" she thought, "I haven't cried in years. Why am I crying?"

Sakura felt a gentle hand as it raised her chin up. She stared into the kind, warm brown eyes of Kazuma.

"Why are you crying?" he asked her, softly.

She blushed, as she slapped his hand away from her.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not crying for you. I'm just crying… because I feel like it! I mean, honestly- can't a girl cry when she wants?" she sobbed.

She felt the same gentle touch as it slowly wiped away her tears.

"Please stop crying, Pinky-chan. I don't like it when the girl that I love cries for me. It makes me depressed."

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU THAT I WASN'T CRYING FOR YOU!" she yelled, while slapping his hand away even harder.

"Ohohoho! What spunk! What spirit! This is exactly what I expect from the woman that I love." He replied with a cheeky grin.

Sakura fumed. Man, this guy had a way with her emotions. He twisted them around when she least expected it.

Kazuma smiled happily. He looked down at the pink-hair shinobi, who was getting angrier and angrier by the minute.

"She's so fun to tease!" he thought gleefully.

He caught a glance at her face, with her emerald green eyes flashing of anger, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment and her petal-pink locks sticking to her face because of her tears. Never had he seen such a beautiful sight.

"Wow… Pinky-chan's a babe! Okay! I've decided!" he announced.

Sakura looked at him strangely.

"Decided what?" she asked suspiciously, not sure if she wanted to know or not.

Kazuma just gave her a cheeky grin.

"Se-cre-t!" he pronounced.

* * *

"Hey! Pinky-chan! Have some of my takoyaki of love that I made especially for you." Smiled a happy Kazuma.

Sakura sighed. How did it end up being like this? How did that pervert, Kazuma, end up being with her team in the investigation? Had God no mercy? And why on earth was SHE the one who was put on duty with him, in the middle of the night? Who knows what he could plan to do to her? She gritted her teeth as a vein popped out of her head.

"Don't. Call. Me. That. The name is Sakura, get it right, idiot!" she hollered.

"Ah… sorry, sorry. Can't get out of my habit of calling you Pinky-chan." Apologized Kazuma.

Sakura humphed and turned her head away from Kazuma.

"That stupid idiot…" she thought. Suddenly, she was reminded of something he had said in Kyou-san's office.

"_I've decided."_

"He's decided on what? That I will be the one to bear his child?" she thought worriedly, she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. There was no way that she would bear his child. NEVER. But knowing Kazuma, it probably was something stupid like that.

She sneaked a couple of peeks at the guy beside her. His dirty blond hair shone in the sun and his chocolate brown eyes were always warm, they always had a mischievous glint in them that both captivated and annoyed her to no end. He was built, tall and handsome, although she would never admit it to herself. He was chowing down on the "takoyaki of love" that he had made especially for her. Suddenly, he caught her eye and grinned.

"Why, Pinky-chan, are you checking me out?" he asked.

"Of course not! Are you crazy? Me, check you out?" huffed Sakura, embarrassed to have gotten caught.

Kazuma smiled to himself. She really was adorable.

"Ne.. Kazuma… can I ask you a question?" said Sakura in a serious tone.

"Hmm…?"

"….What did you mean when you said that you've decided?"

Kazuma dropped his takoyaki. He rushed over to Sakura and gathered her small hands in his large ones. With a seductive smile, he asked her.

"Are you sure you can handle the truth?"

"Uh.. s-sure.." stammered Sakura, afraid of what he was going to say.

"Well…" he started, while he put his arm around Sakura and hugged her tightly.

"I've decided that you're that one who will bear my child!" he whispered huskily in her ear.

Sakura's eyes popped out of her head.

"GAH!" she screamed, pushing Kazuma as far away as she could.

Kazuma chuckled at the sight.

"Calm down.. I was just kidding."

Sakura shot him an evil look.

"That wasn't very funny. I though you were serious!"

"Hehe… not my fault you're so fun to tease."

A vein popped out of Sakura's head.

"What you say?!"

"Nothing….nothing…." mumbled Kazuma as a sweatdrop rolled down his face.

A silence passed between them, as they both leaned back on a tree. Sakura glanced up at the sky and gasped.

"Wow… it's so pretty!" she exclaimed.

Kazuma watched as she began counting them.

"You know… when I was little, my mother and I would always go out at night and count all of the stars. She taught me all of the constellations! See… that one's the big Dipper and that one's Leo…"

"Ne…" began Kazuma.

"Hmm?"

"Do you really want to know the meaning of my words when I said that I've decided?"

Sakura gave him a suspicious look.

"Is it something perverted?" she asked bluntly.

A sweatdrop rolled down Kazuma's face.

"Hey! I already said that that was a joke!"

Sakura paused and looked at Kazuma, who looked so different under the light of the stars. His brown eyes, which held warmth, also held secrets that Sakura wanted to know. He looked so beautiful… so melancholic. She didn't know what had come over her. She put one hand over his and spoke gently.

"What is it?"

Kazuma looked at her directly, staring into her emerald green eyes. Sakura felt she was being enchanted for her eyes could not leave the sight of his warm brown ones. With a steady and firm tone, he spoke.

"I've chosen you."

"Chosen me to be what?"

"I've chosen you to be the person for whom I give my life."

Sakura stared in shock.

"Wh-What?"

Kazuma laughed.

"Do I need to repeat myself? You're the person who I'm going to die for!" he exclaimed.

A vein popped out of Sakura's head. Was this guy serious?

"Don't decide on things like that by yourself! I don't need you to die for me. Besides, I can die for myself perfectly find, thanks!" she retorted, as she turned her head to hide the blush that was covering her face.

Kazuma reached for her face and tenderly turned her face to his.

"I'm serious."


End file.
